


pretty, pretty (i was always this pretty)

by inkquell



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, Kissing, Lipstick, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-08
Updated: 2016-04-08
Packaged: 2018-06-01 01:02:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6494701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkquell/pseuds/inkquell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The cameras are still rolling when Jooheon asks Changkyun, “Do you want to kiss me?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	pretty, pretty (i was always this pretty)

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this](https://youtu.be/ZBoiTdkGte8?t=39m5s), of course.

The cameras are still rolling when Jooheon asks Changkyun, “Do you want to kiss me?” 

Changkyun’s eyes flicker to Jooheon’s lips, lips he’s kissed a thousand times before, but currently they’re covered in a mess of red and hot pink lipstick. With his painted mouth and sparkly eyeshadow, Jooheon resembles the Joker, if the Joker was a drag queen. Changkyun thinks quickly on his feet and plays along.

“Later,” he says. 

Everyone laughs, something embarrassed and knowing behind their smiles. 

“Kiss me passionately,” Jooheon urges, pushing Changkyun’s buttons further. 

Jooheon may look ridiculous right now, but something about the way he’s pursing his lips makes Changkyun’s skin heat up. He swats Jooheon away, hoping the producers will add some funny sound effects or edit the footage so Changkyun doesn't look flustered. 

His eyebrows wiggle for comedic effect. Two can play at this game. “Later!”

For some reason, to Changkyun’s ears, it sounds like a promise. 

Once they finish filming, Changkyun lies on the bench in the locker room. He scrolls through the selfies he took with Jooheon on his phone. Hyunwoo and Kihyun emerge from the bathroom, their makeovers washed from their faces. 

“You really messed Jooheon’s face up,” Hyunwoo chuckles, drying his damp skin with a towel. Changkyun beams proudly.

Five minutes go by, and Jooheon is still in the bathroom.

“Can you go see what’s taking so long?” Kihyun asks, visibly annoyed.

Changkyun knocks on the door. 

“Jooheon hyung?”

He can hear the tap running, so he assumes the coast is clear. The bathroom door creaks as Changkyun steps inside. He finds Jooheon leaning over the sink, trying to scrub his makeup off.

“What are you doing?” Changkyun says, instinctively locking the door behind him. “I worked hard on that.”

Jooheon spins around on his heels. 

“I can’t believe you branded me,” he says, pointing to his forehead where Changkyun drew the letters ‘I.M’ in eyeliner and lipstick.

“What?” Changkyun asks, arms crossed over his chest. He raises an eyebrow. “You are mine, aren't you?” 

“Real subtle,” Jooheon teases, turning back to the sink. He runs a wad of paper towel under the faucet, then wipes his cheek. It does nothing but smudge the makeup further across his face. “What is this stuff made out of? Industrial paint?”

“We have makeup remover back at the dorm,” Changkyun suggests. 

Jooheon reinspects Changkyun’s handiwork in the mirror. His pink, glittery eyeshadow sparkles beneath the fluorescent bathroom lights. Changkyun tries not to laugh.

“I am not going outside like this,” Jooheon says. 

Changkyun wraps his arms around Jooheon’s stomach and rests his chin on his shoulder. “I think you look pretty,” he says, looking at him through the mirror. 

Jooheon’s nose crinkles. The corners of his mouth, exaggerated by the red lipstick, curl into a frown. Now he looks less like the Joker and more like a sad clown. The lipstick-drawn tears and pink eyebrows truly complete the look. For a second Changkyun is disappointed Jooheon’s hair isn’t red anymore. It would match. 

“Here,” Changkyun offers. He reaches around to grab the paper towel out of Jooheon’s hand. “I’ll help you.” 

Changkyun wets it with warm water and a bit of soap, rubbing it with his thumb until it lathers. Jooheon leans against the sink. His eyelids flutter closed as Changkyun gently works at washing off the black liner at the corners, careful not to get any soap into Jooheon’s eyes. It comes off easier this time, and soon the paper towel is dyed multicolours. 

The towel dispenser squeaks as Changkyun cranks out more, then opens up the top and just grabs the whole thing. With the amount of cosmetics caked onto Jooheon’s face, he might need the entire roll. 

“I’ll get you back for this,” Jooheon warns and playfully pokes Changkyun in the ribs.

“It’s your own fault for losing all the games,” Changkyun says. He reluctantly wipes his name off Jooheon’s forehead.

“We didn't lose all of them.”

“But you lost most of them.” Changkyun grabs a fresh handful of paper towel. “You’re really bad at the paper-kissing game, y’know?”

“Hyunwoo hyung was opening his mouth too wide.” Jooheon shivers. “Why would I want to kiss anyone but you anyways?”

The sweetness of the line makes Changkyun’s back teeth ache. He hits Jooheon in the shoulder, not hard but hard enough. 

“What? Too cheesy?” Jooheon asks. He’s grinning.

Changkyun laughs. “Don’t overdo it.”

Soon enough, the only remaining makeup is the lipstick. Changkyun expects it’ll be the toughest to get off. He rubs at the red stain on Jooheon’s chin, the curve of his philtrum, around his cupid’s bow, until he’s completely clean except for his lips. He still looks a bit silly—this lipstick really isn't his colour—but Changkyun can’t deny that the prospect of smearing it across Jooheon lips with his own is tempting. He imagines Jooheon wearing different colours, like pastel pink or dark red. Maybe something glossy? Or flavoured? His ears redden at the thought. 

“So,” Jooheon says, smirking. He pulls Changkyun in closer. Something mischievous glints in his eyes. “Am I ever gonna get that kiss you promised me?” 

Changkyun bites the inside of his lip, brushes a stray sparkle off Jooheon’s cheek. “Maybe,” he says.

Changkyun leans over to kiss a bare spot along Jooheon’s jaw—he doesn’t want to counteract all his work by messing Jooheon up again—but Jooheon has other ideas. He grabs Changkyun’s left cheek and presses his mouth, lipstick and all, to Changkyun’s skin. 

“Ah, hyung!” Changkyun whines. His hand flies up to touch his cheek. His fingers are met with a sticky mess. 

Jooheon is grinning from ear to ear, red and pink smudged around his mouth and down his chin. Changkyun should have seen this coming. He’s probably been planning this since the moment he entered the bathroom. 

Changkyun sees himself in the mirror and can’t help but giggle.

“Okay, fine,” he says, “Now we’re even.”

Jooheon shakes his head, bracing himself against the sink as Changkyun crowds into his space again. 

“No, not yet.”

Changkyun groans. “You’re such an asshole.”

“Shut up, you like it.” 

“I know.”

Most of the lipstick came off on Changkyun’s cheek, but he can still taste it on Jooheon when they kiss. It feels waxy and unpleasant at first, but Changkyun quickly realizes he likes the friction, the way Jooheon’s lips catch on his. Jooheon smiles into the kiss. Changkyun feels the tickle of his breath, the reassuring pressure of his hands against his hips. He hums low in his throat when Jooheon parts his mouth further, feels his tongue touch his teeth. Changkyun’s palms rest on Jooheon’s chest, searching for something to grab onto but finding nothing. 

Jooheon forgets they’re supposed to be cleaning up, not making a bigger mess, and presses lip-shaped marks onto Changkyun’s neck, his jaw, one beneath his ear. Changkyun cups his face and leads him back to his mouth.

“Maybe I should wear lipstick more often,” Jooheon says when they break apart for air. 

A blush creeps up onto Changkyun’s cheeks. The way Jooheon is looking at him now, eyes dark and half-lidded with want, makes him feel like he’s been turned inside out. 

“Yeah,” he says, trying not to sound shy. “You look better in it than I do.”

Suddenly, someone pounds on the door and Jooheon jumps up, startled. The doorknob jiggles back and forth, but thankfully it’s locked. 

“Yah! I don’t know what you two are doing in there,” Minhyuk shouts from the other side, “but we’re leaving in ten minutes!”

Changkyun pulls away with a huff, annoyed at being interrupted. Jooheon, however, is smiling. He slides his thumb along the side of Changkyun’s mouth. Lipstick comes off on his finger.

“Very pretty,” he hums. “I think you’re even messier than me now.”

Changkyun figures they should hurry up and wash this stuff off before Minhyuk breaks down the door, but he's not ready to leave just yet. 

“Oh well.” Changkyun kisses him again, softly. “So, are we even now?”

“Not even close.”

Ten minutes later, they all pile into the car. Changkyun finds a seat next to Hyungwon while Jooheon plops himself in the back, finally barefaced. Changkyun catches his eyes as he turns around to buckle his seatbelt. He can tell Jooheon’s trying hard not to smile.

As they pull out of the parking lot, Changkyun looks over to find Hyungwon staring at him. 

“Changkyun-ah,” Hyungwon says. “What’s that on your neck?” 

“What?” Changkyun pulls his earbuds out of his ears.

Hyungwon points. “What’s on your neck?” 

Changkyun’s mouth drops open a little. Jooheon must have missed a spot cleaning up.

“It’s nothing,” Changkyun blurts out. It doesn't sound convincing. He rushes to rub it away before Hyungwon notices the connection, but it’s no use.

“Wait, wasn’t Jooheon’s lipstick the same colour—” Hyungwon freezes. “Ugh, ew, gross.”

Changkyun sinks in his seat. From the back of the van, Jooheon bursts out laughing.

—

The next morning, Changkyun wakes up disappointed to see Jooheon absent from his bunk, and the spot beside him. Normally, on days like this, they sleep in together until Kihyun coaxes them out of bed. It takes Changkyun a moment to remember that Jooheon has an early filming schedule today. Changkyun frowns, rubbing his eyes, and swings his feet off the bed. The floor is cold underneath his toes. 

Kihyun, Hoseok, and Hyunwoo are eating breakfast in the kitchen. Minhyuk and Hyungwon are still asleep. When Changkyun walks into the room, everyone looks at him as if he has two heads.

“Good morning?” Changkyun asks, suspiciously eyeing his hyungs. 

Hoseok and Hyunwoo exchange confused looks. Kihyun hasn’t blinked since he stepped into the kitchen.

“What are you all looking at?” 

Hoseok nudges Hyunwoo with his elbow. 

“Um,” Hyunwoo starts, his voice low. “You might want to wash your face.”

Changkyun shuffles into the bathroom, still half asleep. His eyes widen when he catches his reflection in the mirror. On his forehead, ’JOOHONEY’ is written in bright pink lipstick. The sloppy handwriting is unmistakably Jooheon’s, and so is the smiley face drawn on Changkyun’s temple. 

“Oh my god.”

Instead of getting mad like he probably should, Changkyun wonders instead where Jooheon got the lipstick from in the first place. He feels his face heat up again when he realizes Jooheon probably bought it just for him. 

So this is what Jooheon meant by getting even. 

**Author's Note:**

> titled after [pretty, pretty](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl4oLnad1f0&nohtml5=False) by ladies' code 
> 
> i don't know what this is but here u go! happy friday everyone


End file.
